Ministry of Science and ICT Discovers Service Models to Address Rural Issues
Promoting the spread and dissemination of benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution through ICT convergence
Support for matching interested local governments and companies through mutual information sharing

The Ministry of Science and ICT is accepting applications for the Smart Village distribution and expansion project from March 9 to April 9, targeting rural central area revitalization launch districts and metropolitan and local governments.

The Smart Village dissemination and expansion project was implemented to provide and expand services such as increased productivity, enhanced safety, and convenience of life by incorporating intelligent information technology so that rural communities can enjoy the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and this year marks its second year.

This year, 8 billion won will be provided to four consortia composed of local governments and participating companies, and five services will be selected per region (a total of 20 services) to be distributed and expanded, including diffusion services (1-2), new services (1 or more), and region-specific services (1 or more).
In addition, considering the difficulties in holding business briefing sessions due to the spread of COVID-19, we are strengthening non-face-to-face activities. We support the matching of interested local governments with companies by surveying the needs of local governments to resolve regional issues, identifying the technologies and solutions held by companies to address these needs, and sharing this information.

To this end, we plan to distribute Q&A regarding the business call and proposals to enhance understanding of the project and encourage participation. Consortia wishing to participate should complete the relevant documents and submit them to the Korea Information Society Agency by April 9.

Park Yoon-kyu, Director General of Information and Communication Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “Through this project, we plan to expand the discovery of service models that resolve pending issues in rural and fishing communities, conduct demonstrations, and promote the large-scale expansion of services that yield results,” adding, “We hope that diverse and innovative services will be proposed in this call for proposals.”

Meanwhile, last year, 4 billion won was provided to Gangwon-do (Geundeok-myeon, Samcheok-si) and Muan-gun (Muan-eup) to develop and distribute 10 services, including ICT convergence-based livestock management, drone-based precision agriculture, solar-powered information boards, intelligent video security officers, two-way communication elderly care, and smart trash cans.